The Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway ended in disappointment for some of NASCAR’s best, including the three-time champion Joey Logano. He was among those who got inadvertently caught up in the Stage 2 wreck that collected nearly half of the field. Speaking to the press about his terrible luck, he referenced an infamous incident that he was involved in a decade ago.
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Back in 2015, Logano and Matt Kenseth found a way to pick trouble with each other. Logano had wrecked Kenseth at the Kansas Speedway and foiled his chances of entering the Round of 8. The Team Penske driver’s spot in the next round was already fixed and he did not need to be aggressive with someone who required a good result.
Kenseth, being who he is, waited for the right opportunity to strike back. The chance came in Martinsville when Logano was racing to secure a spot in the Championship 4. Kenseth wrecked him out of nowhere and blamed his car for becoming too rigid to turn. No one, including Logano, was ready to believe that.
Kenseth told the press at the time, “I know it’s got to be disappointing for him. It’s a tough sport; some days you’re the bat and some days you’re the ball. I was the ball a few weeks ago and I was the ball again today, so that part of it is never fun.”
These are the exact words that Logano has now used to describe his result in Atlanta. NASCAR unofficially counted 23 cars to have been involved in the wreck, which makes it the biggest pile-up outside of Daytona or Talladega.
It all comes full circle pic.twitter.com/ZIStH4BtoT
— nascum_ (@nascum_) June 29, 2025
Logano’s analysis of the Stage 2 wreck in Atlanta
Most of the drivers who saw their days ended because of the wreck had no idea who or what caused it. Logano was clueless as well. He said, “Just a speedway wreck. Wrong place at the wrong time. Tried to win the stage and we couldn’t get that done, and you got to pay the piper when you go to the back there.”
While he did not initially get a look at the replay, Logano eventually did and had a clear comment to make. “The whole field wrecked, and I’m just in the soup there. Oh my gosh, look at that. Oh, that’s horrible,” he said. The No. 22 Ford Mustang driver is currently 11th on the points table and already has his playoff spot fixed.
The race in Atlanta was the 18th of the season. This means eight races remain for the rest of the field to grab the remaining postseason berths. It remains to be seen who the final 16 drivers will be.
